Chapter-5: Skill And Family Time

Just as he fell asleep while contemplating gaining experience in the skill, he imagined the skill being printed in his mind. However, as he looked around the room, which featured a comfy desk and chair, he noticed a note attached to the front wall. The note read, 'The note read, 'In this room, a person can live without sleep for hours because time here passes 10 times faster. All the things the host wants to learn will be available, and concentration and the person's brain will work at 100% capacity. Therefore, while the skill will be added to the menu, it will only be completed when the host finishes learning the basics of the skill.'

It continued, 'Given the fragility of the human mind and the absence of a means to shield it from the effects of skill merging, the system has harnessed the full capacity of the brain to facilitate this process. The host can enter this space at will, with the body outside in sleep, gradually acquiring all the knowledge related to the skill.'

"Well, unexpectedly, that answers his question on how he will gain skills. So, he has 10 times the time here, and right now it's 10:30. Gia's movie will start at 1:30 at noon. So, he has a maximum of 30 hours, as he will need to freshen up after waking up, and Gia might not sleep for more than 3 hours," said Jimmy as he explored how he could start with the process of gaining knowledge. He sat down and saw a small table clock on the table, showing how much time he had been there and the real-world timing. There was also a small device indicating if something was happening near him or if someone was calling him outside this space, with an 'ALERT' word on top of it.

Seated at the desk in the room, which only contained these items, he began the process. When he looked again at the wall, the note had been replaced with a screen featuring a folder named 'Writing skill.' Alongside it was a note: 'Material to learn the skill of writing efficiently, with text available, and a query zone to ask anything that the host finds difficult.'

With nothing else to do, he started with the learning. Opening the files one by one, they explained everything from flow to perspective, and the manner in which it was presented kept his concentration fully engaged. He found himself not feeling bored, even after reading the same material for an unknown duration. As time slipped by, he became increasingly skilled in the way he wanted to embark on his endeavor. He was snapped out of the screen when an alert started going off, indicating that it had noted down his thoughts and alerted him to wake up.

Standing up, stretching, he thought of exiting the space. He felt momentarily disoriented before opening his eyes to see the ceiling of his room. He was back, feeling well-rested, and his mind was relaxed. The things he learned in that virtual space seemed ingrained, as if he had been learning them for a long time. Curious about his progress, he checked his status on the screen.

[Status]

....

Skills: Writing (25% completion till Beginner), ... 

...

(Note: I didn't include the entire status as it wasn't necessary to display it again.)

He saw that he had gained quite a bit as he made his way to his bathroom and freshened up. Crossing his room, he entered his sister's room and found her still sleeping, all curled up. He went near her and, gently shaking her, said, "Gia, your movie is starting. Get up."

She didn't respond initially, so he decided to try another approach. Leaning in closer to her ear, he said a bit louder, "Gia, the movie is halfway done! We're late; you're going to miss everything." As he mentioned this, Gia sat up from her sleep, looking shocked. She hurriedly got out of bed and made her way to the door.

Stopping her, he said, "Gia, the movie is starting in 5 minutes. Go get freshened up; you just woke up." However, she stood there for a moment before running back to him. She started hitting him on the legs while saying, "Bad brother, Bad Jimmy, bad brother." Then, she ran to the bathroom, stomping her small foot and displaying an angry face to show her frustration.

Realizing he had to make it up to her, Jimmy went downstairs and made her a sandwich with some strawberry shake. He placed the treat on the table between the sofa and the TV. As he finished, he heard footsteps approaching, and she entered, still looking angry. However, as soon as she saw the treat, her expression brightened. She ran to Jimmy, hugged him, and started the TV.

"Thank you, Jim-Jim. You're the best," she said, momentarily forgetting her earlier anger. Just then, the movie started, and they both began watching it. Jimmy had promised her and couldn't just go back to his room. Besides, spending time with family seemed like a better idea.

Later, he also managed to push unnecessary thoughts from his mind and enjoyed his time with his sister, who seemed completely absorbed in the movie, making him believe she was imagining herself as the princess or the female protagonist. Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was already noon. They switched off the television and stood up.

Gia, still excited, jumped around, explaining in her own words what had happened in the movie and crafting her own conspiracy theories about the story, like, "Jimmieee, did you see that big guy the princess defeated? He must be the one who kidnapped the princess when she was just a little kid," looking thoughtful as she made her way out, appearing adorable.

As they exited the living room, their mom arrived and saw how cute Gia looked. She hurriedly entered, hugged Gia, and showered her with kisses, making Gia giggle. Then, she made her way to Jimmy, kissed him on the cheeks, and asked how his day was.

Jimmy replied, "It was fun, Mom. We enjoyed ourselves. And you?"

Before his mom could answer, Gia enthusiastically chimed in, "Mommy, me, me! I had so much fun. First, I took Jimmy to the ice cream shop, and then I carried him home because he was feeling sleepy," prompting laughter from both Jimmy and his mom.

Gia continued with her explanation of the movie's story and her imaginative theories. Jimmy suggested that their mom sit down while he fetched her some water. Their night was spent talking in the living room, and then they had dinner, with both Jimmy and little Gia helping. Despite being more familiar with the memories of his current life, Jimmy felt genuinely happy to have a family and to enjoy his time with them.